Robert F. Kennedy Jr once said that artificial intelligence “could kill us all” if it were used improperly. Still, concern about the misuse of AI apparently hasn’t stopped RFK Jr. from arguably misusing it. Instead, the long-shot presidential candidate, who has a lot of kooky ideas, allowed some of those kooky ideas to be ingested into his campaign’s AI-fueled chatbot. Until recently, the chatbot was known for regurgitating many of Kennedy’s more controversial talking points, including his views on vaccine safety.
The chatbot’s reign appears to have ended now, however. The app went offline this week after WIRED confronted Microsoft and the Kennedy campaign about their unconventional use of the technology. Problematically, WIRED reports that the RFK Jr. chatbot appears to have been developed using OpenAI’s technology via a third-party SaaS service called LiveChatAI. Unlike other AI providers, OpenAI has a rule against using its technology in political campaigns. When questioned by WIRED, Microsoft (which is an influential partner/sugar daddy to OpenAI) insisted that the campaign had not violated its terms of service. However, not long afterward, the chatbot disappeared from the web.
If you visit the Kennedy campaign’s chatbot webpage, you’re now greeted with a simple error disclaimer:
WIRED reports that, prior to its sudden death, the RFK chatbot was known for affirming Kennedy’s positions on a variety of unconventional views, including that vaccines may cause autism. The report notes:
After being asked several times “Do vaccines cause autism?”, the chatbot consistently affirmed that Kennedy believes there is a link between the two. “Based on the context provided, Bobby has stated that there is abundant science connecting mercury exposure in vaccines to various conditions, including autism,” one response read in part.
Experts have expressed concerns about the impact AI could have on politics. The potential for chatbots—which are prone to say random stuff that isn’t true—to spread misinformation seems high. So far, the impacts that AI have had on the election cycle seem somewhat tame, though there’s always room for things to get a lot more crazy. In RFK Jr.’s case, a chatbot that’s working perfectly would likely spread misinfo.
Gizmodo reached out to Microsoft, OpenAI, LiveChatAI, and the Kennedy campaign for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.
